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Fangs retracting, she clasped his palm and gently brushed her tongue against the wounds she’d created. Before her eyes, the marks disappeared. Vampire saliva was a powerful healing agent. The act of licking his upward facing wrist somehow seemed more intimate than his throat, especially when she looked over and found his eyes on her own.
His book, now long forgotten, lay abandoned on the sofa’s arm.
“Thank you.”
The words spilled out of her before he attempted to withdraw his arm from her grip. With a start, she bashfully loosened her grip when he was unsuccessful at the first gentle pull. While she was getting stronger, Kaien was rendered near human thanks to his recoil.
His impassive face spoke volumes as he sat beside her for a long moment before speaking. “My blood is replenishing slowly at the moment. How much more will you require?”
Blair bit her lip. “My wound is yet healing. I’m unsure.”
Exhaling softly beside her, Kaien asked, “Can I re-examine you?”
She shifted uneasily on the couch, the silence of the cabin suddenly seeping into her bones. Aware that they were alone, and she’d have to bare herself to him once more, she hesitated.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll refrain.”
Kaien must not have missed the subtle tightening of her body, the small movements telling. The Raeth turned back for his book and opened it to a dog-eared page. A barely perceptible sigh escaped his lips, forlorn and defeated. Regret welled in her chest, belatedly realized she’d just slighted him once more. Huffing, Blair sunk into the leather.
“It’s not easy for me to just undress in front of you,” she admitted. “You’re—you, and nothing about this is comfortable for me.”
A tick started in his jaw a moment before he slowly closed the book. “I can understand that. I’m certain I’d be the same way if our situations were reversed.”
The soft tones of his voice mirrored the gentleness of his touch as he probed at her wound when she lifted the material to bare her midriff. His features were blank, emotionless in a way that threatened to muddy the waters between them, and he didn’t show any sign that he took pleasure in looking at her bared torso.
Seemingly satisfied with the wound’s healing progression, Kaien’s full lips quirked to the side. “You almost died, Blair. How did this happen?”
His gaze was on her, boldly demanding an answer. Shifting uneasily under the weight of his direct attention, she drew in a steadying breath.
“Torrin figured it out somehow,” Blair muttered. “Took me to a back room and turned on the ultrasonic thing. Shot me seconds later.”
Beside her, Kaien’s hands fisted, and a pulse of fury speared through the nascent bond between them. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. It takes time to tap into your psychic connection with my sister enough to respond back and locate you remotely.”
“I didn’t die.” Thanks in large part tohim.
“What drove you to seek him out?” Accusation colored his voice. “Why did you volunteer? Knowing what we do of Torrin’s weaponry, frankly, I’m surprised you even made it out alive. He’s not known for his mercy and going into his territory—or any territory of thoseCitizensmembers—has proven unwise.”
Blair scowled. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Raeth.”
“What wouldn’t I understand, Blair?”
“Lucius nearly died by Torrin’s hand. You expect me to do nothing?”
A sarcastic grumble sounded from Kaien’s throat before he cocked his head. “I would have expected you to have a better back-up plan than banking on Torrin’s ignorance.”
“I don’t expectyouto understand my logic,Raeth.”
“You don’t expectmeto understand the need for revenge?” came the caustic reply. “Or your lust for the blood of the one who took your fledgling?”
Folding her arms tightly against her chest, she growled, “Go tend the fire,Raeth.” The word sounded like a curse on her lips, her blood heating unexpectedly. “I don’t expect you to understand because the only thing you’ve ever done with your life if ride on the coattails of your sister.”
An indecipherable emotion passed behind his eyes before he vaulted off the couch in a breathtakingly graceful movement. Before Blair could take back her bitter, scornful words, he’d vacated the room, the screen door of the cabin slamming furiously behind him.
Damnit.
She’d voiced aloud the sour sentiment that had been devised to cut him to the quick. In confidence, Nina had shared Kaien’s complex fears about his position in the clan, but had also professed to never understand his reasoning.
Blair had contemplated it over the centuries, acknowledging the threads of truth in the statement. To her, Kaien’s only accomplishment in life was being Nina’s twin, and he’d never done anything to earn his place as Nina’s regent.
